You Don't Have to Fake It

Pacheco Bustamante from Miami was having the time of his life. It was the perfect ruse. He drove an old Ford Crown Victoria (the last time you saw one of those it was a cop car). He found a blue light. And he stuck a BB gun pistol in his belt. Voila—he looked like a real live policeman.

And so driving his Ford on I-95 the other day, he decided he’d play “traffic cop.” Spotting a nondescript car ahead of him, Pacheco pulled in behind it, flipped on his flashing blue light and siren, and with BB gun strapped to his side, walked up to the driver pulled over onto the shoulder. But the driver in the unmarked car turned out to be a real police detective, who promptly arrested Bustamante when it became clear he was no officer. OOPS!

The good news is—you don’t have to fake it. If you’re a friend of Jesus and a child of God, who needs a BB gun pistol, when you’re already armed to the teeth? Ever hear the story about Jonathan and his armor bearer? Two young men take on an entire Philistine garrison of professional warriors. Jonathan’s strategy was simple. The two of them would step out into the open and begin scaling the steep incline up to the garrison. If the pagan warriors commanded the two to wait until soldiers came down, they would hold their ground. But if the Philistines taunted them, “Come on up and we’ll teach you a thing or two,” then Jonathan whispered, “‘Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel’” (1 Samuel 14:12).

And that’s exactly what happened. Two brave young Israelite men against an entire enemy garrison—and they end up routing them all! Erwin Raphael McManus comments on that victory: “Somehow Jonathan understood that when you’re moving with God, you must move with an advance mentality. You move forward unless God tells you to stop. You advance unless God tells you to wait” (Seizing Your Divine Moment 155).

I love that. Moving forward with an “advance mentality.” Why? Because you are not a fake soldier or a fake friend and child of God—you have entrusted your life to the King—and He will unleash every celestial warrior He has for your protection. “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11).

McManus goes on: “There are certain things that you do not need permission to do. You’ve already been commissioned to do them. There are certain things that you do not need a calling to do. You’ve already been commanded to do them” (ibid).

In the words of Jesus: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). Your calling and His command are wrapped up in that simple invitation, “Fish for people”— anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Don’t need a degree to do it—don’t even have to go to school to do it—don’t need anybody’s permission either. He said GO—so you GO. He says FISH—so you FISH. You can move with an “advance mentality” and inject Jesus into any conversation anytime you wish, and never have to be afraid of what might happen.

Because you’re not a fake fisherman—you’re the real thing. Never mind your track record. No fisherman catches a fish every time she goes fishing. No fisherman gives up after a day of no fish. You just keep fishing, believing and know the day is coming when your net will explode with God’s catch!

And on that day—whether it’s one fish or a hundred—you will experience the most exhilarating joy a human can know—I promise you—the joy of leading a friend or a stranger to the Savior. And you won’t have to fake it!